Putting surface testing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a putting surface testing apparatus which incorporates a curved guideway shaped and dimensioned to direct a golf ball therealong, and secured to a stand for raising the guideway into an inclined orientation such that a golf ball will roll down the guideway and onto a putting surface to be tested, the apparatus further comprising a receiver slidably mounted on the guideway, and operable to receive and release a golf ball from a desired position along the guideway, from which the condition or other operating parameters of the putting surface may be calculated.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a putting surface testing apparatus, and inparticular a testing apparatus adapted to release a golf ball in acontrolled and repeatable manner in order to allow an assessment as tothe reliability/quality of a putting surface such as a golf green.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the game of golf, arguably the most important part of the course isthe putting green at the end of each hole, and as such the quality andreliability of putting greens is of utmost importance. As a result, the“Holing Out Test” has been developed by the R&A, a body formed in 2004and taking its name from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club based in StAndrews. The Holing Out Test is a method for assessing the reliabilityof putting surfaces, for example at distances of 3 to 9 feet from thehole.

The test allows golf clubs a straightforward, affordable and repeatableway in which to monitor the quality and reliability of putting greensthroughout the year. The test uses an inclined surface to deliver a golfball onto the green, and aimed at the hole, allowing a series of tenconsecutive tests to be performed. On a surface that is said to be ingood condition, 10/10 balls will be holed from preset distances, whichmay be varied according to the growing season. The worse condition ofthe surface being tested, the fewer of the ten balls will be holed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedapparatus for performing the above-mentioned Holing Out Test.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a putting surfacetesting apparatus comprising a curved guideway shaped and dimensioned todirect a golf ball therealong; a stand for raising the guideway into aninclined orientation; and a receiver for releasing a golf ball from adesired position along the guideway.

Preferably, the guideway defines a substantially V shaped longitudinallyextending channel.

Preferably, the receiver is slibably mounted to the guideway.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises an immobiliser operable to releasblysecure the receiver at a desired position along the guideway.

Preferably, the stand comprises a pair of legs spaced from one anotherand a cross member extending therebetween, the guideway being mounted tothe cross member.

Preferably, the pair of legs are pivotally mounted to the cross member.

Preferably, the stand comprises a pair of ground engaging feet.

Preferably, the feet each comprise a curved ground contacting surface.

Preferably, the feet are each substantially spherical.

Preferably, the guideway comprises a tapered ground contacting end.

Preferably, the guideway comprises a pair of opposed faces which definethe channel, the opposed faces describing an angle of between 120 and170 degrees, more preferably between 130 and 160 degrees, and mostpreferably 144 degrees.

Preferably, the guideway has a radius of curvature of between 1 m and 2m, more preferably between 1.3 m and 1.8 m, and most preferably 1.6 m.

Preferably, the receiver defines a recess arranged to receive a golfball and to allow the golf ball to travel from the recess down theguideway.

Preferably, the receiver comprises a release mechanism displaceablebetween a ball retaining position and a ball release position.

Preferably, the release mechanism is biased towards the ball retainingposition.

Preferably, the recess is a substantially semi-circular recess formed ina front wall of the receiver.

Preferably, the recess comprises a through aperture extending from anupper surface of the receiver to the guideway.

Preferably, the receiver comprises an internal passage in communicationwith the recess at one end and an opening in a front wall of thereceiver at an opposed end, the passage being shaped and dimensioned toenable a golf ball to pass from the recess out of the opening.

Preferably, the stand is adapted to enable the orientation of theguideway to be adjusted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a putting surface testingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear perspective view of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged view of a receiver forming part of theapparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a ground contacting end of aguideway forming part of the apparatus;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross section of the guideway shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side elevation of the receiver shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 illustrates an end view of the receiver shown in FIGS. 4 and 7;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of aputting surface testing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of a portion of aguideway and a receiver forming part of the apparatus of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 illustrates an alternative perspective view of the receivershown in FIG. 10, in isolation from the guide way;

FIG. 12 illustrates a rear perspective view of the receiver as shown inFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates an end view of the receiver of FIGS. 11 and 12;

FIG. 14 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of a free end or groundcontacting end of the guide way;

FIG. 15 illustrates a front elevation of the free end of the guide wayas shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion ofthe apparatus as illustrated in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 17 illustrates an enlarged view of a spirit level as shown in FIG.16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings there isillustrated a putting surface testing apparatus according to a firstembodiment of the present invention, generally indicated as 10, for usein testing the quality and reliability of a putting surface such as agolfing green. The apparatus 10 comprises a curved guideway 12 mountedto a stand 14 such as to position the guideway 12 in an inclinedorientation between a first ground contacting end 16 and a secondelevated end 18. In this way a golf ball (not shown) can be releaseddown the guideway 12 and onto the putting surface at a reproduciblespeed in order to test the putting surface.

Referring in particular to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, the apparatus 10 furthercomprises a receiver 20 mounted to the guideway 12, displaceable alongthe guideway 12, and releasably lockable at any desired positiontherealong for the reasons set out hereinafter. The receiver 20comprises a carriage 22 which is shaped and dimensioned for acomplementary fit on the face of the guideway 12, the carriage 22defining a recess 24 at a downstream end or front wall of the carriage22, which is semicircular in shape in order to receive a golf ball Btherein.

The receiver 20 further comprises a release mechanism 26 comprised of anarm 28 pivotally mounted to the carriage 22, a spring 30 or otherbiasing means being disclosed between one side of the arm 28 and thecarriage 22. At the other end of the arm 28 is a stop 32, for exampleformed from rubber or the like, and located along the arm 28 such as toengage and therefore retain a golf ball located in the recess 24. Itwill thus be appreciated that the sprung side of the arm 28 can bedepressed against the carriage 22, thereby raising the stop 32 out ofengagement with the golf ball in order to allow the golf ball to bereleased away from the receiver 20. It will of course be understood thatthe release mechanism 26 may be varied as desired in order to achievethe above-mentioned functionality. For example, the release mechanism 26could be substituted for some form of electronically and/or remotelyoperated mechanism.

The carriage 22 further comprises a pair of rails 34 located beneath themain body of the carriage 22, and which are seated in a correspondinglyshaped pair of slots 36, one formed in either edge of the guideway 12 asclearly seen in FIG. 6. In this way the carriage 22 can be displacedalong the length of the guideway 12 without separating therefrom. Itwill of course be understood that any other suitable arrangement may beemployed in order to capture the receiver 20 on the guideway 12. Inorder to lock the carriage 22 at any desired position along the guideway12, the receiver 20 comprises an immobiliser in the form of a pair ofclamp wheels 38 which when tightened engage against the slots 36 inorder to clamp the carriage 22 in position. The clamp wheels 38 can thenbe opened when necessary in order to allow the receiver 20 to berepositioned along the guideway 12.

The guideway 12 is curved along the longitudinal direction, and ispreferably arcuate in shape and has an optimum radius of curvature of1.6 meters, although it will be appreciated that this can be variedsignificantly. It has however been found that this arc provides thesmoothest transition of the golf ball from the first end 16 of theguideway 12 onto the putting surface, in order to avoid bounce or otherdisturbances during the transition. In order to further improve thetransition from the first end 26 to the putting surface, and as clearlyshown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the underside of the first end 16 is taperedtowards the front edge in order to minimise the thickness of the tip ofthe guideway 12, thereby further reducing the possibility of bounce asthe ball passes from the guideway 12 to the putting surface.

The upper surface of the guideway 12, referring in particular to FIG. 6,comprises a pair of sidewalls 40 between which is defined a V-shapedchannel 42, the pair of sidewalls 40 preferably describing an angle of144 degrees as the optimum angle for use with a conventional golf ball.The use of the V-shaped channel 42 ensures that the golf ball remainscentred on the guideway 12 as it rolls downwardly towards the first end16, again ensuring the accuracy and reproducibility of the testperformed with the apparatus 10.

The stand 14, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises a pair of legs 44spaced from one another and connected via a cross member 46 to which theguideway 12 is affixed, at or adjacent the second end 18. A pair ofwheel clamps 48 lock the legs 44 in position relative to the crossmember 46. By loosening the clamps 48 the legs 44 can be hinged on thecross member 46, in order to vary the angle between the legs 44 and theguideway 12, thereby allowing the angle or inclination of the guideway12 to be varied as desired. Each leg 44 is terminated in a spherical orball shaped foot 50, although any other suitable foot may be used.However, the use of the spherical shape ensures that the stand 14 willhave a steady footing on an uneven or non-uniform surface such as thegrass of a golf green. The stand 14 is also preferably provided with oneor more spirit levels (not shown) which can then be used in order toensure the correct horizontal and/or vertical level and orientation ofthe apparatus 10 before testing is initialised.

Turning then to the operation, the apparatus 10 is positioned on theputting surface to be tested, with the legs 44 and ball feet 50 adjusteduntil the apparatus 10 is sitting in a suitable orientation. Then,depending on the distance to the hole from the first end 16, thereceiver 20 is displaced along the guideway 12 to the correct position.The further towards the second end 18, the greater the distance the golfball will travel when released from the receiver 20. A golf ball is thenpositioned within the recess 24 of the carriage 22, and held in thisposition by the release mechanism 26. The arm 28 can then be depressedagainst the bias of the spring 30 in order to release the golf ball,which then rolls down the centre of the guideway 12 in the channel 42formed therein. The golf ball will then leave the first end 16 of theguideway 12, and due to the tapered underside thereof, will have asmooth transition onto the putting surface. The golf ball will then rollacross the putting surface, eventually coming to a stop, or droppinginto the hole on the putting surface, the result being indicative of thequality of the putting surface. The test can then be repeated a numberof times as required by the holing out test.

The apparatus 10 of the present invention thus provides a relativelysimple yet reliable means of performing the above-mentioned holing outtest, in order to aid in monitoring the reliability of a puttingsurface.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-17 there is illustrated a second embodiment ofa putting surface testing apparatus according to the present invention,generally indicated as 110. In this second embodiment like componentshave been accorded like reference numerals and unless otherwise statedbefore a like function.

The testing apparatus 110 comprises a curved guideway 112 mounted to astand 114 such as to allow the guideway 112 to be placed into aninclined orientation between a first ground contacting end 116 and asecond elevated end 118. As with apparatus of the first embodiment, thisallows a golf ball (not shown) to be released down the guideway 112,from any position therealong, and onto the putting surface at areproducible speed in order to test the putting surface.

The apparatus 110 additionally comprises a receiver 120 mounted forsliding displacement along the guideway 112, which receiver 120 may befixed at any desired position along the guideway 112 in order to receivea golf ball and allow the golf ball (not shown) to be released from theparticular position on the guideway 112, as with the first embodiment.The receiver 120 comprises a carriage 122 which is again shaped anddimensioned for a complementary fit on the face of the guideway 112, thecarriage 122 including a recess or through aperture 124 which passesentirely through the carriage 122 from an upper face thereof, thusproviding direct access to the upper surface of the guideway 112 via thethrough aperture 124. The aperture 124 is dimensioned to allow a golfball to pass therethrough, and in the embodiment illustrated has achamfered upper edge or mouth in order to assist in directing a golfball into the aperture 124.

The carriage 122 comprises a pair of rails 134 located in opposition oneither side of a lower surface or underside of the carriage 122, as canbe clearly seen in FIGS. 12 and 13. In use the pair of rails 34 areseated in a correspondingly shaped and dimensioned pair of slots 136formed in the opposed lateral edges of the guideway 112, as clearlyvisible in FIG. 14, while FIG. 10 illustrates the carriage 122 mountedto the guideway 112 by means of the rails 134 and slots 136. Thus itwill be appreciated that the carriage 122 is captured on the guideway112 and can be slidingly displaced along the guideway 122 in order tovary the vertical height from which a golf ball may be released down theguideway 112 for performing the holing out testing of a putting surface.

In order to allow the carriage 122 to be secured at any desired positionalong the guideway 112 the receiver 120 is provided with an immobiliserin the form of a plunger 138 which is carried by the carriage 122 and inuse is captured between an underside of the carriage 122 and the uppersurface of the guide way 112, as shown in FIG. 10. The plunger is springor otherwise biased into contact with the upper surface of the guideway112, thus lightly clamping the carriage 122 at any position along theguideway 112 at which it is located. The clamping action and frictionalforce exerted by the plunger 138 can be easily overcome by manualdisplacement of the carriage 122. Thus it will be appreciated that thespring biased plunger 138 facilitates the immediate immobilisation ofthe carriage 122 once it is positioned at any point along the guideway112. Similarly when it is desired to reposition the carriage 122 thereis no requirement to open or undo any catches, locks or other retainingmechanisms prior to displacing the carriage 122 to the desired newposition along the guideway 112, where the receiver 120 will be againimmediately secured by the action of the plunger 138. The plunger 138 ispositioned, in use, upstream of the through aperture 124 with respect tothe guideway 112. In this way the plunger 138 will not form animpediment to the path of a golf ball passed through the recess 124 totravel down the guideway 112, as described hereinafter.

As with the first embodiment, the guideway 112 is preferably curvedalong the longitudinal direction, and is preferably arcuate in shape andhaving an optimum radius of curvature of 1.6 m. Referring in particularto FIGS. 14 and 15 it can be seen that the lower free end 116 of theguideway 112 is formed such as to minimise the thickness of the tip toreduce the possibility of bounce as a golf ball transitions from the end116 of the guideway 112 onto the putting surface.

The upper surface or face of the guideway 112 comprises a pair ofsidewalls 140 which define a V shaped channel 142. The optimum but notessential angle defined between the pair of sidewalls 140 is an angle of144° in order to best suit the dimensions of a standard golf ball. Thestand 114 comprises a pair of legs 144 connected via a cross member 146to which the guide way 112 is suitably secured. The cross member 146 ishingedly mounted between the pair of legs 144 in order to allow theangle between the legs 144 and the guide way 112 to be varied, and thusallowing the angle or inclination of the guide way 112 to be varied asdesired or required. A pair of conventional clamp levers 148 areemployed to lock the legs 144 and cross member 146 relative to oneanother.

Each leg 144 terminates in the spherical or ball shaped foot 150 whichagain allows the apparatus 110 to have a steady footing on uneven or nonuniform surfaces such as grass. The stand 114 further comprises, asillustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, a spirit level 152 which in theembodiment illustrated is mounted at the centre of the cross member 146directly above the upper end 118 of the guideway 112. The height of thelegs can be individually varied by adjusting the position of each of thespherical feet 150, until the apparatus 110 has been correctly leveledas indicated by the spirit level 152.

Turning then to the operation of the apparatus 110 of the secondembodiment, once positioned on the putting surface the legs 144 and ballfeet 150 are adjusted until the apparatus 110 is sitting at the desiredorientation and/or position. The carriage 122 is then displaced alongthe guideway 112 to the desired position. A golf ball is then simplyallowed to drop through the aperture 124, thereby landing on theguideway 112, the golf ball then being free to roll downwardly along theguideway 112, initially through the hollow interior of the carriage 122and out of an opening in the front wall of the carriage 122, beforecontinuing down the guideway 112 to traverse the putting surface untilcoming to rest or dropping into the hole on the green.

If the golf ball is allowed to come to rest on the putting surface thedistance the golf ball has traveled from the first end 116 of the guideway 112 can then be measured. In addition to this measurement, thevertical distance between the putting surface and the position at whichthe golf ball was initially dropped onto the guideway 112 is alsomeasured. In order to allow this measurement to be quickly and easilytaken, a mark or indicia 152 is provided on the side wall of thecarriage 122, at a position which corresponds to the centre of a golfball seated on the guideway 112 immediately after having been passedthrough the aperture 124. Thus this vertical distance, and the distanttraveled by the golf ball along the putting surface, may be used tocalculate various values in connection with the quality of the puttingsurface, by using existing methods of calculation.

1. A putting surface testing apparatus comprising a curved guidewayshaped and dimensioned to direct a golf ball therealong; a stand forraising the guideway into an inclined orientation; and a receiver forreleasing a golf ball from a desired position along the guideway.
 2. Aputting surface testing apparatus according to claim 1 in which theguideway defines a substantially V shaped longitudinally extendingchannel.
 3. A putting surface apparatus according to claim 1 in whichthe receive is slidably mounted to the guideway.
 4. A putting surfacetesting apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an immobiliseroperable to releasably secure the receiver at a desired position alongthe guideway.
 5. A putting surface testing apparatus according to claim1 in which the stand comprises a pair of legs spaced from one anotherand a cross member extending therebetween, the guideway being mounted tothe cross member.
 6. A putting surface testing apparatus according toclaim 5 in which the pair of legs are pivotally mounted to the crossmember.
 7. A putting surface testing apparatus according to claim 1 inwhich the stand comprises a pair of ground engaging feet.
 8. A puttingsurface testing apparatus according to claim 7 in which the feet eachcomprise a curved ground contacting surface.
 9. A putting surfacetesting apparatus according to claim 7 in which the feet are eachsubstantially spherical.
 10. A putting surface testing apparatusaccording to claim 1 in which the guideway comprises a tapered groundcontacting end.
 11. A putting surface testing apparatus according toclaim 2 in which the guideway comprises a pair of opposed faces whichdefine the channel, the opposed faces describing an angle of between 120and 170 degrees, more preferably between 130 and 160 degrees, and mostpreferably 144 degrees.
 12. A putting surface testing apparatusaccording to claim 1 in which the guideway has a radius of curvature ofbetween 1 m and 2 m, more preferably between 1.3 m and 1.8 m, and mostpreferably 1.6 m.
 13. A putting surface testing apparatus according toclaim 1 in which the receiver defines a recess arranged to receive agolf ball and to allow the golf ball to travel from the recess down theguideway.
 14. A putting surface testing apparatus according to claim 1in which the receiver comprises a release mechanism displaceable betweena ball retaining position and a ball release position.
 15. A puttingsurface testing apparatus according to claim 14 in which the releasemechanism is biased towards the ball retaining position.
 16. A puttingsurface testing apparatus according to claim 13 in which the recess is asubstantially semi-circular recess formed in a front wall of thereceiver.
 17. A putting surface testing apparatus according to claim 13in which the recess comprises a through aperture extending from an uppersurface of the receiver to the guideway.
 18. A putting surface testingapparatus according to claim 17 in which the receiver comprises aninternal passage in communication with the recess at one end and anopening in a front wall of the receiver at an other end, the passagebeing shaped and dimensioned to enable a golf ball to pass from therecess out of the opening.
 19. A putting surface testing apparatusaccording to claim 1 in which the stand is adapted to enable theorientation of the guideway to be adjusted.